Nanny Black
by Mrs Pepperpot
Summary: When her four-year-old brother falls into the clutches of the diabolical Nanny Black, Sarah Williams must strike a bargain with an old adversary to get him back. A Labyrinth horror story for Halloween.


**I have already written and posted a Labyrinth Halloween story for 2015, and Goblins is a much fluffier affair than this horror!**

 **I had no intention of writing another and then, inspired by the Creepypasta tale 'Candle Cove' and the legend of Black Annis, this happened.**

 **(BTW, that Maneater song I reference from The Jim Henson Hour exists and can be found on YouTube)**

 **It's dark and perhaps pushes the boundaries of a T-rating, but there's nothing too graphic.**

 **Happy Halloween! - Mrs. P.**

* * *

Nanny Black

" _Yesterday, three-year-old Sam Griffin became the fourth child to disappear from the Hudson Valley area this week. In the absence of any witnesses, local police are currently drawing a blank and are appealing for anyone who may have any relevant information to come forward. Anxious parents are being advised to stay extra vigilant, while everyone hopes and prays that today we won't add a fifth name to the list of missing children…"_

Sarah Williams frowned at the news report on the radio. The whole neighbourhood, including herself and her parents, were already in a state of high-alert when it came to the safety of the children under their care. The four missing kids had all vanished without a trace from their homes, the one place where they should have been safe. Her father, a criminal defence lawyer, was always in and out of the local police station. Unofficially, he'd heard the authorities were completely baffled, and outside of the parents, the F.B.I could come up with no other viable suspects. In desperation, there had even speculation based on what happened to the little girl in the movie Poltergeist, as it turned out that the children who had gone missing happened to be sat in front of their television set the last time anyone saw them. Each of them had seemingly disappeared from their own living rooms leaving no signs of forced entry or any sightings of intruders. One possible culprit had occurred to Sarah, except it wasn't anything she could go to the police with. The officers might joke about children being snatched by vengeful spirits, but who would ever take her story seriously once she told them about the Goblin King?

Three years had passed since that fateful night when she'd wished for the goblins to take her brother away. The barn owl, she secretly knew to be an otherworldly King, had haunted her ever since. Gliding above her on silent wings, he kept his distance. Always watching and waiting, usually from the tree outside her bedroom window or perched on a stone obelisk in the park. He had no power over her, but Sarah could sense that he craved it. Her refusal of all the Goblin King offered her, plus her victory in solving his Labyrinth must have driven him crazy. Hoggle once told her she had got his attention and, given the constant stalking, she obviously held it still.

Keeping her eyes fixed on four-year-old Toby as he sat on the lounge carpet, she fumbled about blindly in the kitchen cupboard. Sarah was uneasy about letting him watch television, but he made such a fuss about missing his favourite show, she relented. Having double-checked all the windows were closed and locked, she felt satisfied there could be no other way in or out of the room. All the same, her gaze never wavered from him. Her brother's sandy blond hair was a mess of unruly curls and his big blue eyes were glued to the TV screen. He remained blissfully ignorant of his ten-hour long stay in the Underground with the Goblin King, and she meant to keep it that way. Regardless of her suspicions about who might be responsible for the mysterious disappearances, Sarah wasn't about to do anything to risk putting him in jeopardy again. Besides, she had no evidence and it was a sad fact that children went missing all the time. The abductors invariably turned out to be horribly human monsters. Perhaps it would be easier to rationalise such crimes, she mused, if the guilty parties actually were creatures from another world.

"Please come back, Nanny Black," Toby wailed at the television.

Sarah grabbed the tray with the plate of cookies and glass of milk she'd been preparing for him. "Aww, is your show over, kiddo?" she asked as she walked into the lounge, puzzled to find nothing but fizzing static on the screen. Fiddling with the controls, she gave a shrug as the picture blinked a few times and returned normal.

The Jim Henson Hour was harmless fun and she settled down to watch it with her brother. However, he soon became fidgety and grabbed for his crayons. Turning to an empty page in his sketch pad, he screwed up his face in contemplation and began to draw. His expression as he concentrated on the task at hand made Sarah smile as he rested the tip of his tongue on his upper lip and carefully picked out which colours to use. After ten minutes or so, she leaned over to glance at his crayon creation. The monstrous image on the paper caused her to recoil in horror. Her brother had drawn a hideous creature with a bright blue face and one large gaping eye. It wore a black cloak over some kind of pink and orange dress with pointed grey claws, like Freddy Krueger's, protruded from its bony hands.

"Who the hell is that?" She questioned cursing in alarm.

"It's Nanny Black," Toby replied without taking his focus away from the paper.

"You mean the character from the TV show you were watching?" Sarah frowned as he nodded. Children's television characters could be odd, no doubt about that. Bozo the Clown still creeped her out, but this thing was on another level when it came to making her skin crawl.

A rattling noise startled her and shook her from her troubled thoughts. Realising she had left the security chain on the front door, she went to open it after hearing her stepmother calling to her.

Irene hurried inside to get a reassuring glimpse of her son. The empty food cupboards and a list of other errands had forced her to leave the house, but she hated being away from home under the current circumstances. "I called the security firm who installed our alarm system, this morning," she said as she gazed fretfully at the blinking room sensors. "They told me they've been swamped, but that they'd try to get someone out today to reinforce the window and door locks. Has anyone been by?"

Sarah shook her head; no one had disturbed them all afternoon. Her father and stepmother usually trusted her without reservation to take care of Toby. It was a responsibility she took seriously. After her brush with the Goblin King, she no longer resented her younger sibling's existence and realised how much she loved him. She would soon be graduating from High School and heading off to college in the fall, but she planned on visiting home as much as possible. Volunteering to help with the groceries Irene had just purchased, she trundled to and fro to the car, which was parked in the driveway. Her brother went back to watching television after completing his drawing, and she could hear the Muppets were singing a song. All seemed well until she brought in the last bag and took a peek into the lounge. The static had returned to the television set and her brother was staring at it, completely rapt.

"Don't forget me, Nanny Black," he chanted as if in a trance, "Come and get me, Nanny Black."

Squinting at the hissing blizzard on the screen, Sarah grew alarmed to see a hideous face emerging from out of the snow. It was the creature her brother had drawn in his sketchbook. The blue-faced hag let out a high-pitched cackle as it fixed its one wide gaping eye on her. Where its other eye should have been, there was a hollow sunken pit barely covered with puckered skin. Beneath its saggy lips, big yellow jagged teeth were exposed as it gave her a menacing grin. Dropping the grocery bag, which scattered red apples and peaches all over the floor, she dove to pull the plug on the television set.

"Come back, Nanny Black," Toby cried out as he reached up to touch the screen.

Bony fingers oozed like black smoke through the glass and grasped his hand, reeling him in towards the crackling static.

"Nooooo," Sarah screeched as she desperately tried to grab onto him.

The force which propelled her brother into the television was repelling her, pushing her forcefully back against the wall.

Irene came rushing into the room to find her son gone, and her stepdaughter dazed and frozen in horror. "Where's Toby?" She shrieked, frantically searching behind the furniture.

The snow on the screen was gone, and in its place, a bunch of aquatic looking Muppets were singing a version of Hall and Oates' Maneater.

Everything that followed, after her brother got sucked into the television set, became a blur. All Sarah could see or think about was the image of the terrible creature who'd taken him. There was something strangely familiar about it. If only she could remember where she'd seen that nasty face before. Once the weeping had died down, and the police finished asking their questions, the family were left sitting in numb silence. Sarah told them about Nanny Black without going into too much detail, she didn't want to be thought mad. But she had no doubt this creature, whatever it turned out to be, was responsible for all the disappearances. As soon as she could excuse herself, she retreated to her bedroom. Still convinced the Goblin King was involved somehow, she went over to her window to look for the owl. The pale-feathered bird was nowhere to be seen, but as Sarah glanced back at her bookshelf, she spotted something which she hoped would be of use. After her experience in the Labyrinth, she had picked up an encyclopaedia in a second-hand bookstore which listed various creatures from folklore. Although she could find no direct mention of the Goblin King, he appeared to fit the description of a member of the Fae aristocracy. Goblins were of a lower order and did not possess as many magical abilities as the fae. As she began leafing through the book, it struck her that on these pages is where she had seen the blue-faced hag before. Frantically flipping through the entries one by one, Sarah found what she was looking for; Black Annis. The picture underneath the name exactly matched the one Toby had drawn. This foul creature had to be Nanny Black.

 _"Black Annis, also known as Black Agnes or Annie, is a blue-faced crone with iron claws and a taste for human flesh, (especially that of children). Reaching inside houses to snatch people, she skins her victims alive. Afterwards, she tans their hides by hanging them on nearby trees and then fashions them into skirts and dresses."_

Bile started to rise in her throat as she imagined her brother's fate. The hoots of an owl from outside her window grabbed her attention, and swallowing her fear, she opened the catch. If Toby was still alive, she would need help to get him back. Loath as she was to admit it, Sarah could only think of one person she could turn to, and the price of his assistance would no doubt be high. Maybe it was a case of trying to put out a fire with gasoline, but Sarah could not see any other option. Who else would even know where to find Black Annis, let alone have any understanding of what she was or how to stop her? For a moment, she and the owl stared at each other, unblinking and unmoving. Drawing in a deep breath, she invited the bird into her room.

"I need your help, Goblin King, please," she begged as the creature sized her up with its big black eyes.

A breeze swelled up around her, whipping her dark tresses over her face. When she swept the hair from her eyes, he stood there before her, dressed in all his regal finery. His pale beauty was accentuated by the moonlight as his wild blond mane floated unnaturally around him.

"Ah, Sarah, and to what do I owe the pleasure?" He drawled in urbanely velvet tones.

"It's no pleasure, believe me," she snarled irritated by his smirk. "Some foul creature has taken Toby and I need your help to get him back."

The Goblin King raised his pointed eyebrows with interest as he listened to her tale. His odd eyes bored into her and she fought against getting distracted by his hypnotic stare. Time had not changed him, but she was older and she hoped, wiser. At the age of eighteen, she knew a little more about the opposite sex and what they wanted from girls like her.

"Can you help me or not?" Sarah questioned as she mentally prepared for him to name his price. "Every second we delay could be fatal for Toby. Just tell me what I have to do to get him back."

Jareth tilted his head slightly as he made a show of contemplating her request. "As it happens, I do know the cave where Black Annis dwells," he confessed as he summoned up a crystal ball with the flick of his wrist. Holding the glass orb aloft in his right hand, he gazed into it. "The boy is alive," he declared as he allowed her to view the image.

Her brother sat cowering in a dark corner of the hag's rocky lair. He naturally looked terrified out of his wits but appeared otherwise unharmed.

"Toby," she gasped, reaching out to touch the crystal ball as if she could somehow give comfort to him from afar.

The Goblin King watched her with a strange expression on his face. He probably meant it to be compassion, but another emotion lurked under the surface which looked suspiciously like glee.

"What are you waiting for?" Sarah's green eyes were blazing with determination. "Let's go get him back."

"Not so hasty, if you please," Jareth's clipped tones reminded her who held the power this time around. "I will reunite you with your brother, but first, I have a request to make of you."

She knew he would, it was inevitable. His kind always expected something in return for services rendered. Her book taught her that, as did her selfish childhood wish. "Well?" She barked, knowing she would consent to almost anything in order to get Toby home safe and sound.

Jareth tossed her the crystal ball, which she caught without flinching.

"Agree to be my queen," he challenged as his penetrating gaze swept over the length of her body, obviously pleased with what he saw.

Sarah gulped, it was a big ask, but her brother's life was at stake. "Could we at least get to know each other first, I mean there's no rush, right?" She blustered, hoping to buy some time.

He gave her a smug smirk.

"You said it yourself, Sarah dear," Jareth taunted, "there's not a second to lose if you don't want young Toby to be skinned alive by Black Annis."

His safety came first. But if she agreed, she would have to leave him and everyone else she cared about, behind.

"Why me?" she questioned. "I'm sure someone like you isn't short of options when it comes to prospective brides."

"Such flattery," the Goblin King sneered. "As it happens, the Goblin Kingdom is distinctly lacking in that regard. I don't get many babies sent my way these days and, excepting the goblins, I rarely receive any other visitors. From the moment I saw you with that silly paper crown of yours balanced on your head, I knew I had to make you mine. I would have kept you three years ago if I had been able, as it is, I am willing to take you now as my wife and I intend to make you my queen. It is only my generous nature that compels me to offer you anything at all. I can be cruel if you would prefer it," he threatened in a way that reminded her of a petulant child.

Sarah glanced into the crystal ball to check her brother was still unharmed. His sobbing had quietened to a whimper, but she couldn't delay for much longer. "Would I have to live in the Underground?" She frowned, resigned to accept it if that was her fate but still hoping for some concession. "What about my life here?"

"Your family will forget you, and you will forget them," the Goblin King informed her in an unsentimental fashion. "It shall all be for the best as you can never return."

A single tear fell from her sorrowful green eyes, and she angrily swiped it away. He would not see her cry.

"Why so glum?" Jareth mocked, "After all, it's only forever."

Whether duplicity on his part had led to this or not, she could see no other option. With one last look at her brother in the orb, Sarah made her choice.

"Alright, you've got yourself a deal" she spat, determined not to be broken. "Now, can we please go get Toby before Black Annis hurts him?"

Clasping her hand in his, they soon materialised in a densely wooded area. The small yawning mouth of a dark cave loomed directly in front of them. Over the thick branch of a nearby dead tree, four flesh-coloured scraps flapped in the breeze. From their sizes and shapes, she knew precisely what they were. She turned her head away as bile burned the back of her throat. The air inside the cave reeked, pungent with the stench of rotting meat and the ground beneath their feet crunched with every step. Sarah couldn't see what they were treading on, but she could guess, and it made her already churning stomach, lurch. Up ahead of them, a pair of animal eyes shone in the darkness. She heard a hissing sound and a black cat sprang out at them. It made her jump and she tightened her grip on Jareth's hand. After a few more steps, their way was illuminated by the warm glow of firelight.

"Toby," she cried out to the small boy who was crouched in the corner of a poky chamber.

Upon seeing his sister, he leapt up and launched himself into her waiting arms.

"Nanny Black's a bad lady," he wailed, the thrall she cast over him broken.

"I know, but you're safe now and I'm gonna take you home," Sarah vowed as she peppered his damp face with kisses.

A quick glance around the hag's living quarters revealed no one else alive to rescue. Something lumpy was bubbling in a large cauldron over the fireplace. However, she couldn't bring herself to take a closer look.

"The others are - - gone, aren't they?" She blinked back her tears as Jareth gave her a silent nod in confirmation.

Black Annis was nowhere to be found, and they didn't linger. In the blink of an eye, the Goblin King transported them all back home. Toby was too traumatised to question the identity of the strange man who'd help save him. He clung to his sister as if he would never let go. Sarah's relief over saving her brother was matched only by her fear of what it had cost her. The bargain had been struck and she didn't suppose he would allow her to wriggle out of it. Taking her hand and planting a soft kiss over her knuckles, Jareth gazed at her with a tenderness she hadn't expected from him.

"I'm not a monster," he assured her. "I will give you time to say your goodbyes."

"It will break his heart and mine too," she wept. "Is there no way I can stay?"

"What's said is said," he reminded her, his tone uncompromising. "Now, I have matters to attend to, but when I return, I expect to find you ready and waiting. Shall we say in thirteen hours?" His sly smirk made her shudder.

The clock started ticking as he faded from her sight.

"Come on, Toby, let's go tell your mom and dad that you're home," she coaxed, pasting on the cheeriest smile she could muster.

In another world, Jareth materialised outside Black Annis's cave.

The old crone met him with a razor-sharp grin. "Got what you wanted, did you?" She croaked.

He held his hand out expectantly and waited as the blue-faced hag fumbled around in the pouch of her skin skirt. Reluctantly, she plucked out a crystal ball and handed it over to him.

"It ain't fair," she grumbled, "You'd see old Annis starve, would you?"

The Goblin King gazed over her rotund figure with disgust.

"Do not speak to me of injustice," Jareth growled. "Our business here is concluded and your reward was more than ample. There will be no more Nanny Black," he proclaimed letting the glass orb drop onto the rocky ground below where it shattered into pieces, and then he crushed the remaining shards beneath the heel of his boot. "Now, if you'll excuse me, my future queen is waiting."

Black Annis cackled with glee as he vanished in a glittery haze. That's what she admired about the Goblin King; he always got what he wanted in the end, by fair means or foul.

 **The End.**


End file.
